China painting or decorating on stoneware, ceramic and porcelain surfaces, i.e., figurines and dolls, etc., traditionally have relied on oil based media in the mixing of paints. Modern techniques have evolved to the use of water soluble or water reducible media. These have been limited to the use of glycerin as the medium or solvent. Difficulties that have been experienced with glycerin relate to its very high surface tension making the resulting paint (after mixing glycerin with pigment powder) difficult to wet large surface areas without blotching. As an improvement over glycerin, polyethylene glycol has been used with limited success; though polyethylene glycols have lower surface tensions than glycerin, the improvement is marginal due to the inadequate rheological properties needed to facilitate uniform spreading. The medium, whether glycerin or polyethylene glycol, is typically mixed with dry pigments or color to a suitable consistency and applied by brush, sponge or the like to the surface of the ceramic, porcelain or stoneware. At times water is added to the mixture to reduce the viscosity of the painted surface. There are also times when the artisan, in order to obtain a point on the end of the brush may insert it in their mouth, and apply saliva, a practice, though widely used, that is severely discouraged due to the heavy metals, especially lead, in the pigments. Multiple layers of paint in the same area typically require separate firings after each layer of paint has been applied. The painted surface is fired then at elevated temperatures in a kiln to ca 1290.degree. F.
It is an object of the new invention, when the medium is properly mixed with pigments, to paint long, continuous fine lines on porcelain, ceramic and stoneware without resorting to constant reloading of the brush after one or two lines have been painted.
Another object of the invention is to be able to apply an even hue or color over large areas without "blotching".
Yet another object of this invention is to apply a paint in which the color is very close or identical to what is observed after china firing at elevated temperatures.
Still another object of this invention is to be able to move the paint (medium and pigment) on a ceramic, porcelain or stoneware surface with a brush without rewetting the surface.
Another object of this invention is to easily correct, i.e. remove a small defect of error in painting without redoing the entire surface.
Still another object of this invention is to be able to paint multiple layers of color (two or more) in the "wet" state without resorting to firing after each single application of the paint and without the colors running together, but yet remaining true after firing at elevated temperatures.
Other objects of this invention will become apparent to those that are skilled in the art.